Every Time We Lie Awake
by riah19
Summary: Feeling abandoned in her self-imposed exile to the Pacific NW, Bella Swan is desperate to find somewhere she belongs. Cast as an outsider at Forks High by day two, Bella finds herself drawn to the brother & sister with piercing green eyes, sorrow & secrets in their depths. With her need to know the Cullens, Bella may just find everlasting love & a home along the way. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone. This is a new idea that came into my head recently, and decided to put down. Updates might be a little intermittent (College is busy) but a few chapters are already completed so regular udpates for a little while at least. The summary barely says anything about the actual plotline so give it a go! I must warn you though, it will get dark. Life isn't always rainbows and sunshine. I don't like the summary limit. lol. Read, enjoy, and remember, feedback is inspiring! **

**~Riah**

**P.S. Read if you like baseball and Edward mixed together. ;)**

**ETWLA Chapter 1:**

Wet.

Cold.

Green.

The exact opposite of everything that was bright and sunny Phoenix. The bright blue skies, the warm brown of the desert, everything that made Phoenix home was gone.

There was no brown to be seen outside the windows of the police cruiser that belonged to Charlie, my Dad. The trees that that lined the side of the highway formed an unending wall of blurred green. Even the trunks of the trees were green, smothered by the thick, green moss that grew there.

Dreary, grey skies above, depressing and suffocating in their darkness, unleashed a constant rainfall that had me missing the dry heat of home more than ever. No matter that it was the middle of March, rain was a rare occurrence in Arizona.

It had barely been thirty minutes since Charlie and I had pulled away from Sea-Tac and already we had lapsed into silence. He was silent, and I was silent; the beginning of a wonderful companionship. Once the normal pleasantries were out of the way, there was no need to continue with incessant chatter.

Silence was comfortable; it made the time pass faster.

Soon we were pulling up in front of my childhood home, the place where I would spend the next year and a half of my life. I was out of the car and grabbing my duffel bag before Charlie had the car in park. Sighing in frustration at the locked front door, I stepped back to look at the house while waiting for Charlie.

The white house hadn't changed a bit since I was here the summer of my eighth grade year. Those two weeks spent here had been what solidified my decision to never return to Forks. Back then Charlie just didn't understand. I was a fourteen year old girl that wanted nothing to do with fishing or playing in the mud with the reservation boys. I yelled at my Dad for making me go with him, but I was too young to recognize that the way his shoulders slumped at my harsh words was a sign of hurt and disappointment. Instead I called my mom and begged to come home.

Yeah, I was selfish back then.

So imagine Charlie's surprise when I called him out of the blue just last week begging to come live with him.

Time had squandered my memory of this place, and standing here on the front porch, staring up at the window to my old room, had me definitely second guessing my impulsive decision.

_You could go home, _the voice inside my head piped up. I nodded internally to the voice, agreeing that I could indeed go home. It would be so easy to simply book a returning flight to Phoenix and head back to the land of the sun, but now I would recognize the slumping of Charlie's shoulders for what it really was: disappointment in his only child.

Of course, he would put on a brave face, spouting off ideals about me taking my time in growing up and flying the proverbial coop. A teenage girl needs her mother, he would say, telling me how important it is to have a healthy, strong relationship with my mother, all the while internally scoffing at the idea that spending time with my harebrained mother could ever have a positive influence on me.

Suddenly, I wasn't alone on the porch. Charlie slipped by me to unlock and open the door. Once inside he turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised. "You coming in Bells? Or are you gonna stay out there in the rain?" he asked.

"I'm coming." The inside of the house was just like the outside, unchanged and exactly the same.

"Your room's the same, except for the new bed and covers." It was like he could read my mind.

We walked up the stairs together, myself in the lead, and moved to my room. Charlie was right. The only difference I could see is the twin size bed that replaced my old toddler bed, a new purple comforter lying across it. Instead of a toy chest, there was a desk in the corner and an empty bookshelf.

"I hope you like purple," Charlie said from the doorway as I sat down on the bed.

"Yeah dad. It's great. Thank you," I managed to give him a meek smile with my thanks.

He nodded a bit then answered, "Alright. Then I will leave you to unpack. Pizza should be here in twenty minutes."

"Okay."

He disappeared quickly, his boots thumping down the stairs.

Looking around the room I had a sudden urge to climb into my queen sized bed back home and burrow in my feather pillows.

_Just a simple phone call to the airport, _the voice whispered again. I could be home in four hours, six at the most, but I owed it to Charlie to try, no matter how happy my mother would be to think I chose her over Charlie.

In truth my choice of living environment had nothing to do with the parent in each city but rather the city itself. However my mother would tell herself that it had everything to do with how brilliant of a parent she is. She would say how happy she is I chose her over my lonely father, telling me it's okay if I am not ready to spread my wings yet. Truth be told, my wings had been spread for a very long time. I jumped from the nest when I was about six, that time that Mom forgot to turn off the stove and nearly burnt our house down.

I took over the cooking the next day.

Going home, I realized however, is not a viable option. I could not possibly fathom returning to the love nest in the sun anytime soon. Mama bird had found a new, much younger beau, and they wanted to stretch their wings together. As newlyweds, they both deserved to spend time alone together without having to worry about the 'innocent' ears of the seventeen year old daughter listening in. mom could easily go on the road with Phil's baseball team , but she worries about me being alone for too long.

The easiest solution I could come up with was to just remove myself from the equation, therefore, my lack of a comfortable bed.

Unpacking didn't take long. Aside from my clothes, I hadn't thought to bring much with me from Phoenix. My books were my only comfort of home, and the classics easily filled the empty bookshelf next to the desk where I had placed my laptop.

Barely twenty minutes had passed and I was finished, hearing Charlie call up the stairs for me.

We ate dinner in relative silence, the only sounds echoing in the living room being the sounds of the announcer on the televised Mariners game. I stared at the screen with an unprecedented amount of disinterest.

I could never understand the pull and power that baseball had over the minds of every man in America. The game was America's pastime indeed, with its overcrowding, incessant amounts of alcohol, and unhealthy foods. Really, I believed the sport to be nothing but an excuse for men to get together and gossip like old hens.

Not to mention that baseball was indirectly responsible for my exile to the Pacific Northwest. If Phil didn't play professional ball, then mom would not have the inexplicable urge to go gallivanting across the country, with or without her daughter in tow.

My mother's abandonment, whether it be intentional or not, left me feeling an irrational hatred for the sport. Perhaps I was just using baseball as a scapegoat, a cover for the welling up of all my childhood insecurities and issues, much like the way I was telling myself that selfless attitude was the main reason for my coming to Forks.

In reality I was just a teenage girl whom was tired of being ignored.

Sitting here mulling over the reasons wasn't going to change my predicament however, and tonight was Sunday, meaning I had to go to school the next day. Finished with my pizza, and tired of killing brain cells that I might have someday needed, I bade Charlie a goodnight and made my way back up the stairs.

Lying in bed that night, I had a hard time falling asleep. There was too much green dancing behind my eyelids, and when I did eventually slip into a slumber, the green of my dreams had me gasping for breath and desperate for escape.

Waking up was more difficult than normal. The lack of morning sunlight had me sleeping through my alarm, and only Charlie's pounding on the door was able to tear me from the warm covers.

"Get up Bells! We got to go soon!" his voice sounded through the room.

"Ugh. Ow! Okay. I'm up," I yelled back, wincing as my toe caught on the leg of the bed. "I'll be right down!"

Fashion had never been my forte, so getting dressed was simple. Jeans, white, long sleeved v-neck, and vans and I was done. Ten minutes later my teeth were brushed, my hair was combed, and I was standing by the door slipping on my brown, hooded jacket.

Dread filled me as I stepped out the front door, realizing that I would have to arrive to school on my first day in the cop-mobile. Fuck. The other kids were going to annihilate me.

First order of business after school was to hunt for a job so that I could get my own vehicle.

The school itself was nothing special. The buildings were quite average, red brick with two stories and parking lots that were already crawling with students.

"You gonna be okay be from here Bells?" Charlie asked from next to me in the driver's seat.

Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I would be okay, but there was no way I was going to worry Charlie with my fears. Making friends had never been easy for me, and even though I grew up with the kids in Phoenix, I really only had a couple of true friends.

"Yeah, Dad. I'll be fine." Nodding, I tried to muster a confident smile, but I think it probably looked more like a grimace.

"Alright. Have a good day then."

"Sure Dad. I'll see you later, okay?" I said sliding out of the car, not giving him a chance to reply. With my backpack slung over one shoulder, I slowly made my way to the front office of the school. The stares were blatant as I trudged through the rain, and not one person even attempted a friendly smile. For such a small town, the students were rather unwelcoming of anyone new.

The lady in the office was nice enough, though in my haste to get to class I missed her name. The slip she handed me held my schedule, and next to the name of each class and teacher was a line for the instructor to sign.

Walking through the hallways I noticed that this small school seemed to have a strange obsession with a certain sport that I despised. 'Go Spartans' signs and the initials 'C.C.' were plastered all along the walls, right next to advertisements about the first game of the season. The Spartans were obviously the school's mascot, yet I didn't know what 'C.C.' meant to the school however, and the initials appeared on the posters just as much as 'Spartans' did.

No matter. I wouldn't willingly be attending any games.

My morning classes were simple, and only a handful of students showed any interest in actually getting to know me. Angela Webber was a dark haired girl with glasses that shared my advanced English class, and was the only one who started a conversation beyond introducing herself. She even invited me to sit with her and her friends at lunch.

When I finally made it to the lunch room after fourth period English, during which I endured the annoying chatter of one Fig Newton or something like that, all eyes seemed to gravitate towards my entrance, and the room grew quiet.

It was easy to distinguish between the different cliques just by glancing around the room. Fig and his friends clearly drew a line at wannabe jock, while Angela sat a table filled with the artsy and musician types. She looked up and smiled when she saw me, her hand rising in a beckoning motion. I did my best to smile back and started moving in her direction when something caught the corner of my eye.

I twisted my head quickly to see what had grabbed my attention, but all I saw was a flash of bronze moving through the double doors that led to the outside area. I scanned the area in front of the doors for a clue as to what caused that hasty exit, but only saw one table that stood out among the rest. A pushed back empty chair drew my attention; it must have been the escapee's chair.

The pushed out chair was not the only interesting thing about this table however, but rather the people that sat around it, or rather one person in particular. Like every other set of eyes in the small cafeteria, the occupants of this table leveled steady, appraising gazes on me, all except one.

I could only make out her profile and her long, flowing blonde hair, her beauty eclipsing every other girl in the room. Looking at her made me feel quite inadequate. She, unlike everyone else, had not even glanced in my direction.

Odd.

"Bella?" I heard someone calling my name. Turning away and internally feeling bad for gawking, I saw Angela waving her hand once again. I moved toward her, careful not to make a fool of myself by slipping across the tile on day one, and took a seat in the empty chair she was pointing to.

"How's your day been so far?" Angela asked.

"Alright I guess," I answered shrugging, my thoughts still focused on the girl. I felt some strange companionship with her, even though I had no idea who she was and had obviously never met her.

Huh. I was losing it already, and I had only been in Forks for one day.

"What's up with that table over there?" I asked, nodding my head in the blonde's direction. "They all look like some sort of followers."

"That's because they are. The blonde girl? That's Rosalie Cullen. Queen Bee, and everyone sitting around her are her trusty little worker bees," Angela said, glancing in the direction, seemingly afraid that she would be heard.

"So what, is she like a cheerleader or something?" Angela's nervousness unnerving to me.

"Ha!" she laughed. "More like mechanic and race car driver. She and her brother have gotten one or two many speeding tickets from your dad. She is gorgeous of course, and people are intimidated by her, though I don't understand why. She has never been anything but nice to me. I feel bad talking about her like this."

So it was guilt that made Angela edgy.

"Brother?" I questioned, feeling that this would be a vital piece of information.

Her eyes moved back to the table, searching for something. "Yeah. Her brother Edward normally sits with her. I wonder where he is."

Was he possibly the flash of bronze I saw making its way outside?

"Anyway, I didn't introduce you to everyone." Snuggling up to the dark haired boy with glasses next to her, she continued, "This is my boyfriend Ben Chaney."

He held out his hand and nodded; a true gentlemen.

"And this is Eric," she said pointing to another boy. She then waved to the other girls at the table, "And this is Jessica and Casey."

Everyone nodded politely then continued on with their conversations. I retreated back into myself and pondered over why I felt such an astounding need to know about this Rosalie and her brother. Edmund? It was kind of creeping me out. I had never felt a compulsion to do, well, anything really before.

It didn't feel like much time had passed when the bell rang and everyone was moving to their final classes. I waited until most of the room had cleared before moving from seat and making my way to the advanced biology class. Unfortunately, my procrastination had me entering just before the bell rang, and the teacher looked none too pleased. His eyes settled on me ominously, angry at being interrupted.

"Aah. You must be Miss Swan. I am Mr. Banner," he said smirking slightly. "You chose quite a day to join us here. Take a seat next to Mr. Cullen and he will help you get adjusted," he continued, pointing to the only empty seat in the room.

Hot. Shit. Damn.

I had never seen something so exquisitely delicious looking before. _Delicious? Where the hell did that come from?_ I thought to myself. But I couldn't think of anything else to describe the perfection that sat staring straight ahead, eyes smoldering as they swept over my form. I think I melted a bit under his gaze. His sculpted jawline could cut glass and would have Michelangelo's David on his knees and seriously questioning his sexuality.

I wanted to bite it.

Which, now that I think about it, was extremely odd, because I have never once felt the urge to bite anyone before. Sexual attraction was not something I was familiar with. Sure, I thought boys were cute or attractive, but this odd urge to completely jump his bones was distractingly foreign and new. I wanted to run my fingers through the messy bronze hair that peeked out beneath a Mariners cap.

_Baseball? NO!_ He couldn't like baseball. That would be just wrong. My inane hatred for the sport already had this irrational urge fading. _Good. _If he liked baseball, then I couldn't possibly like him.

Simple.

"Miss Swan?" I jumped at the sound of Mr. Banner's voice. "Are you alright?"

I could only nod vaguely.

His eyebrows rose. "Then take your seat please."

"Sorry Sir," I said making my way to the seat and staring at the floor. I couldn't look at him, for fear that I might attack him, liking baseball or not.

Once seated, I did my best to block out the sounds around me, but one sound would not be ignored; it should never be ignored, I realized as the rich sound spoke.

"Hello. I'm Edward Cullen," the voice said, softly and warmly, beckoning me to look up.

I immediately regretted looking up when I saw the startling, bright green of his eyes, like sparkling emeralds they penetrated me, and I was on fire again. Those eyes, carved into that perfectly cut face, blinked back in shock when they met mine. Yet still his gaze never faltered, his expression questioning, waiting for a reply.

An inordinate amount of time passed while I stared into what felt like this beautiful boy's soul.

I think he was doing the same but was the first to break the connection.

"You must be Isabella Swan. A pleasure to meet you." My eyes moved to his lips as he spoke, watching as his mouth turned up into a crooked grin.

My gaze must have lingered there for too long.

"Oh. It's very nice to meet you Edward. The pleasure is all mine," he spoke again, this time in a high pitched, clearly mocking tone. As I was just about to pull myself from this ridiculous trance, he laughed, and I was pulled right back in, mesmerized by the deep, rich sound.

Suddenly, an irrational anger came over me. Who did this boy think he is? I needed to speak. This boy could not think he had some sort of power over me, and at this rate it wouldn't take him long to realize that he actually did.

"Sorry, I was distracted by your rude gawking, yours and the rest of the class's," I said angrily. _Wow, that was bitchy. _

His head snapped back to me roughly, his eyes burning with a sudden intensity. "Hey, I was just trying to be nice and joke around. You don't need to bite my head off."

He was right. I was being rude, and again the answers to my strange behavior were fleeting and apparently nonexistent. I was all twisted up inside, confused over my strange compulsion to know about the Cullen siblings and my sudden and intense attraction to this boy.

Cullen, _Shit. _This was the Edward Cullen that Angela was speaking about, the Edward Cullen that was now studiously ignoring me.

_I am such an idiot!_

Gah! I didn't know how to fix this situation, but I instinctively knew that it must be salvaged.

Tomorrow.

Satisfied with my resolution, I turned to the front of the class only to be assaulted with the obnoxious smell of formaldehyde.

"Listen up everyone," Mr. Banner called. "Today is the first day of dissection week!"

Most of the class cheered, but a few other poor souls like myself were turning green. I somehow wasn't surprised to see Edward Cullen grinning when I peeked up at him out of the corner of my eye.

Today was just getting better and better.

I tuned out the rest of Mr. Banner's speech, figuring that Cullen would be more than happy to do the entire lab, and I was not wrong. When the poor, defenseless little frog was laid in a dish in front of us, I gagged and pointed like a madwoman between Cullen and the little creature. Cullen seemed to get my message, simply shrugging his shoulders and getting to work cracking the little guy's legs.

I think I threw up a little.

The class passed by slowly, the time dragging and the smell growing more potent. Without even realizing I had been moving, I suddenly found myself using Cullen's shoulder as a shield from the smell.

He didn't seem to mind, his tense shoulders gradually relaxing as time went on.

Yes, biology that day was the longest school class period I had endured so far. EVER. I had never moved so fast as I did when that dismissal bell rang. I was out the door before anyone else, and I managed to not even stumble.

Just I was turning down the hallway, a hand grabbed my wrist and I was jerked to a stop.

"Isabella! You…"

"Bella," I interrupted as I turned to face him.

"Huh?" his green eyes turned confused.

"I prefer to be called Bella. Isabella makes me feel like I'm in trouble."

He smirked at me as he spoke. "Well you are in trouble, Isabella," his eyebrows slanted in a mock glare, teasing me, his anger apparently having faded in our silence during class. "You forgot your bag," he said, raising the hand that held my backpack. I realized unceremoniously as he raised that hand that the other was still tightly gripping my wrist. I looked down at the odd tingling that seemed to be occurring where his fingers rested against my bare skin.

His eyes followed my line of vision until they landed on our joined limbs. A stinging, like static shock, made him jerk his hand back, releasing me. I watched his face as he examined his fingers, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Here," he said suddenly, thrusting my bag at me. "You should take better care of your things," he added, sneering nastily. It was like a switch was flipped, and suddenly he was angry again.

"And I would care what you say, why?" I replied haughtily before turning and walking away, disturbed by his sudden shift in behavior. "What an asshole," I muttered to myself.

I heard him growl behind me. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I don't even know you," I retorted, not turning. His mood swings were giving me whiplash, even if my moods certainly weren't behaving any better. He just put me on edge.

"Isabella?" he called after me.

"What?" I said stomping my foot childishly and turning to face him.

"You're right. You don't know me." His eyes were stormy, like a hurricane blown, tropical ocean as they caught my gaze once again. Cliché or not, I needed a map to find my way out of those deep, green depths. "Where are you going?" he asked, suddenly calm again.

I held up my schedule sarcastically and pointed in what I thought was the general direction of the gym. "To the gym." I refused to let him smile his way back into my good graces. Just because he could switch personalities like Jekyll and Hyde didn't mean I could.

The smirk was back as he continued to flip moods again, back to playful. "Umm, Isabella?"

"What?" I pleaded again louder, frustrated at his use of my name and arrogant, asshole behavior.

I might have been being a bit dramatic.

"The gym is that way," he chuckled, pointing in the opposite direction of which I was headed. I rolled my eyes at his arrogance before walking in the right direction, embarrassed and flustered because of my mistake. I wasn't a freaking cartographer.

"Whatever," I mumbled, not able to think of a better reply. I could still hear his laughing as I turned the corner and headed down the correct hallway.

_What an ass._

Yeah, I was a child.

**A/N: Anyone figure out what C.C. stands for already? Don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, so not gonna say much except here's a new chapter. Be kind with my errors. I don't have a beta. Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome ;). I don't want to beg, but I might! Review please!**

**~Riah**

ETWLA Chapter 2:

I had only made it halfway down the hallway when I sensed someone's presence looming over my shoulder. A sinking suspicion came over me that the person had striking green eyes and unruly bronze hair.

Turning my head just slightly, I could make out that it was definitely Cullen that was following me. His head was turned in the opposite direction, but the set of his jaw told me he was a fighting a smile, or smirk. Which one, I did not know.

I tried to ignore him as I searched for the locker room, but he was walking close enough to me that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

It was intoxicating.

Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and whirled around to face him. His shoes made a squeaking noise on the floor as he abruptly slid to a stop and stumbled back, eyes widened, in shock.

"What are you doing?" I accused.

"Just going to class?" he replied, hands held up in an 'I am innocent' gesture.

"Really?" I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

He smirked and nodded. "Yep."

"And what class is that?"

His smile grew. "Gym."

_You have got to be kidding me,_ I thought to myself.

I might have huffed and rolled my eyes again.

"Fine," I said, but I had my doubts.

Doubts that were quickly replaced as I sat on the bench watching the other students participate, Cullen standing out among them in his athletic ability. Coach Clapp had opted to let me sit out, the day being my first and all.

I had turned away from Cullen angrily, and walked faster down the deserted hall, yet he still had easily kept pace with me. When I had finally found the locker room, I threw open the door and entered as quickly as possible but not before catching the sight of Cullen standing right outside, arms crossed and smirk in place, out of the corner of my eye.

I ignored him.

Once inside the gym, calmly keeping track every flying object while I sat, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. The sweat dripped down his forehead in thick beads as he ran and jumped with the other boys in the class.

Again, I had the most inexplicable urge to lick him.

These strange urges were quickly becoming a problem, but I didn't know what was wrong with me. I didn't know how to stop thinking these disturbing thoughts. I had known Cullen for all of three hours and it was becoming increasingly difficult to not just throw myself at him and get sweaty too. He had annoyed the hell out of me in the short sentences we had spoken to each other, and I didn't know why. He hadn't said anything that was overwhelmingly irritating; just the fact that it came from him got me all riled up.

The sixty minute class period passed by slowly, those last few seconds lingering while I desperately tried to ignore the sight of Cullen, muscles tightening and coiling, win for his team. The loud ding of the bell made me jump, sliding from my seat quickly and making my way outside.

I realized just as I was stepping out into the rain that, in my haste to escape, I had forgotten to grab my bag again. It still sat hidden in the bleachers, and for a moment I considered leaving it there. However, hoping that he was gone by now, I put on a brave face and trudged back to the gym.

My steps faltered once I opened the door that led to the basketball court, voices echoing through the tall ceilings putting me edge. I stopped my movement and pried my ears, trying to make out what was being said.

"You ready for practice to Cap?" came the voice of Coach Clapp.

The returning chuckle was utterly familiar. "You bet Coach. Friday's the first game of the season, and I want to win."

I peeked my head around the corner and could see them standing in the center of the court. Cullen still hadn't changed, except for the removal of his shirt. The muscles in his back rippled as he bent down to pick up what looked like discarded clothing item.

Coach slapped a hand on Cullen's shoulder as he straightened back up, the sound loud in the large room. "I have no doubt that we will win with you at the mound. I have got every faith in you, son," he said, a bit of southern twang slipping into his words.

Cullen looked down at his hands. "Thanks Coach. I won't let you down."

"Just don't let yourself down, kid. Alright?" He made Cullen look up at him. "It's not always about winning."

I could just make out the slight nod of Cullen's head as I leaned further around the corner, but my eagerness to eavesdrop cost me. I had forgotten I was holding the door open until I felt it slip from my grasp, the hinges creaking as it swung toward me.

Both men's heads turned at the sound. I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I, uh, just forgot my bag," I apologized motioning to where I had been sitting at the top of the bleachers.

Coach Clapp smiled warmly in my direction, his blue eyes sparkling kindly. "Don't worry about it, darlin'," he said, the twang growing more prominent. "Climb up there and get her bag for her, eh Cullen?" he continued turning back to the bronze-haired boy.

I didn't hear if he replied, only saw him drop his shirt again and sprint up the stairs.

I had just found religion, because Lord, it was a sight to behold.

He held up my bag for me when he came back down and walked to where I still stood in the doorway. "Bella," he said staring at me unblinking.

I was immediately entranced in his gaze once again, his green eyes twinkling brightly. They were nothing like the muted greens that haunted my dreams and suffocated all the brown in this town. They were deep and held secrets, full of longing to escape.

I wanted to be the one to set him free.

The clearing of Coach Clapp's throat snapped us both out of our trances.

I reached out and took the bag, slinging it over my back. "Thank you," I whispered.

He smiled slightly. "You're welcome."

Whiplash.

I think I managed to muster a small smile in return before turning and walking out alone.

I mulled over my interactions with Cullen as I headed down the hallway. He made me angry, frustrated and confused, but he also made me nervous and, warm? I felt tingly all over when he was near, and I had only been near him for a total of three hours. I laughed at the descriptions of the supposed spark felt between lovers in my classic romance novels, love at first sight a seemingly ridiculous notion, but was that what I was feeling now? Was I feeling _that _spark when my fingers brushed against his?

I don't think I was in love with him, but the instant attraction was strong. My head was telling me I was crazy, but my body was singing, craving for contact with him, to just be in the same room as him. Something akin to what I thought might be the butterflies that are so often described fluttered deep inside me when I looked at him.

I wanted more.

I was crazy.

So lost was I in my reverie that I had almost made it to the exit when I felt another presence beside me. My smile came back wider as I looked to my right, expecting to see Cullen walking beside me. I was surprised, however, not to see Edward Cullen but Rosalie Cullen matching my stride step for step.

She looked at me when I looked at her and we both stopped abruptly, turning to face each other.

She had the same startling green eyes as her brother, I noticed as I looked up at her, her figure towering over me.

I didn't quite know what to make of this amazon woman staring me down.

Okay, maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but she was so beautiful it made me feel inadequate.

Imagine my surprise when she held out her hand, an appraising look on her face. "Rosalie Cullen. You must be Isabella."

I stepped back and grasped her hand, shaking it slightly. "Bella. Nice to meet you."

A smirk, one that matched her brother's perfectly, appeared on her face before she turned and began walking again. "Walk with me, Swan."

The soft lilt of her voice was smooth but held a demanding tone. She expected me to follow, and follow her I did. She didn't say anything until we reached the doors that led outside. "What's it like being the chief of police's daughter?" she asked, not 'why aren't you tan' or some other menial question like the rest of the student body. She wasn't acting like I was an outsider.

It was nice.

I shrugged as I looked up at her again, glancing outside to see what had instigated her question. The cruiser sat directly in front of the doors, Charlie waiting to take me home. "I wouldn't really know. I have only been one for two days," I answered.

Her smirk returned. "Huh. I guess that's true." She looked outside towards my dad, and when she did the strangest look came over her face. A myriad of emotions flashed across her features, but the prominent one was a look of almost reverence, like she was thanking him for something.

When she turned back to me her expression was sad, an emotion, I thought, that should never be displayed on a face that perfect. "I like you, Bella. I know we don't know each other at all, but I am hoping we can be friends?" she asked timidly, the tone seemingly wrong for her personality.

Rosalie looked fragile the closer I looked, like she would break if I said no. "I don't see why not," I said, smiling slightly.

The look of relief that flashed across her face was deafening.

"I just don't understand why you would want to be friends with me," I said, emphasizing _you _and _me._ I was puzzled.

She looked down at the ground, almost shyly. "Because I can tell you're not like the rest of them. I watched you today, when you came into the cafeteria. You looked lost, kind of like me. Maybe we can find whatever it is we are both looking for together, as friends."

"You watched me? You seemed like the only person who wasn't staring at me," I questioned.

She chuckled quietly. "I am good at making people think that I don't care. They don't judge as harshly if they think you aren't paying attention."

I shook my head slightly. "I don't understand."

Her eyes pierced me sharply. "No one does. That's the problem. But maybe you will, if we can be friends?"

Her answers were cryptic, and I only found myself, like earlier, wanting to know more about the Cullen siblings. "Of course, Rosalie."

Her smile returned. "Call me Rose. Or Hale." Her eyes flickered back to the cop-mobile. "Do you want me to pick you up in the morning?" she continued, laughing slightly.

I nodded enthusiastically, grinning. "Yes! Thank you! Anything but the cop-mobile."

We laughed together at my nickname for the cruiser before I saw Charlie beckoning me. "I guess I better go. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Bella. See you in the morning." She stayed inside as I opened the door and walked to cruiser.

Charlie leaned across the seat and pushed the door open. Outside for only a few seconds and already I was frozen. The heat felt nice as I slid into the seat.

"Hey Bells. You have a good day at school?" Charlie asked.

I looked out the window as I we pulled away from the curb, Rosalie still standing at the door, watching. "Sure Dad. It was alright."

He nodded. "That's good."

And that was that. Comfortable silence ensued for the rest of the ride home.

It was raining hard by the time we got to the house, soaking me to the bone as I took my time to get to the front door. If I attempted to run I would fall.

Charlie headed straight for the recliner when we walked in. "Pizza okay for dinner tonight, Bells? We can order in. We'll worry about groceries tomorrow."

"Yeah Dad, sure," I said wanting to escape the room quickly. He had put _that_ sport on again.

I waited for a moment before taking to the stairs, but he said nothing else, completely immersed in his game.

Hours later, after a hot shower and dinner with Charlie, I lay awake on my bed, counting sheep, but nothing was working.

I couldn't get the image of piercing green eyes and igniting touches out of my head. Cryptic words swirled around like pieces of a puzzle, a puzzle with five thousand pieces that are all the same color.

Earlier I was just confused by the pull that I felt towards the Cullens, but now I was starting to wonder if I truly am crazy. Was I that desperate for a close friend that I created this magnetic feeling in my head?

I didn't think so, but I wasn't going to rule it out.

Thinking back to my conversation with Angela, I tried to imagine if something was strange about the way she talked of Rosalie. Angela herself seemed simply uneasy about divulging the details of someone else's life to a stranger, but now that I think about it, everyone else at the table had looked down, almost as if they were embarrassed. But I also heard that slight sound of snickering in my memory, like they were laughing at something.

I conjured up the image of Rosalie sitting at her table in the lunch room. Earlier it had seemed that everyone gravitated towards her, and she was the one looking away, making her seem indifferent and cool. Now I wondered if maybe she was just shying away from the attention. Everyone faced her, but their bodies were lined with tension as they did their best to lean away from her.

Maybe she really was being judged, but appearances for other people were more important than just leaving her alone, meaning something must have happened to make them judge her. They stuck wither because it was what they knew, but it hadn't always been that way.

The time grew later as more questions sprang forth in my mind, keeping me from peaceful slumber. When I eventually did slip into sleep, it was restless as I tossed and turned until morning, green eyes, both bright and sorrowful, haunting me even in sleep.

Rosalie was on time, if not ridiculously early the next morning. Her bright red BMW slid into my driveway shortly after Charlie left.

It had been a trying a morning, trying to convince Charlie that I really did have a ride to school on only the second day. He was wary until I mentioned it was Rose who was picking me up, then his eyes grew sorrowful, and he was instantly okay with me spending exorbitant amounts of time with her. He even offered to give me money so we could have a girls shopping day.

I hate shopping.

The short time I had between the time Charlie left and the time Rosalie got here saw me seriously questioning the relationship between the two. I had a hunch that something serious had happened, something involving the police, hence the judgment.

Angela had said that Rosalie and Edward liked to race cars, so maybe an accident?

I hadn't a clue.

Aside from the customary 'hello's' and 'how was your night's', the drive to school was relatively silent, the kind of silence that I liked. Neither of us felt the urge to fill the car with meaningless words, instead focusing on the beat coming from the speakers.

It wasn't until we had pulled into a parking space at the school that Rosalie finally spoke. "I am sorry, Bella. I didn't really think this through. Now they are going to look at you too."

I laughed at that. "Um Rose? I don't know if you noticed, but everyone was already staring at me yesterday anyway. All day."

She shook her head slightly. "Yes, but it would have worn off eventually. The shiny new toy façade would have faded after a while. Now you are going to be stuck with me and everyone's judgment. They are going to wonder how you could possibly want to be friends with me."

I looked over at her in the small space. Her jaw was clenched tightly, and I thought she looked a lot like her brother in that moment, the way his jaw had clenched in anger in biology yesterday. I had spent a long while studying his immaculate profile. "It doesn't matter. The only person I was remotely interested having as my friend was Angela."

"Yeah. Angela is a great girl." Her voice was laced with sadness as she spoke. "You should be friends with her."

I shrugged. "I will. And so will you." She smiled a sad smile at me. "Will you tell me why everyone treats you like this?"

"Maybe, someday. If the rest of student body doesn't beat me to it." And that was that. We ignored everyone's stares and went our separate ways.

School was the same as the day before. I had to rush to the office in the morning because I had forgotten to turn in the signed form. Ms. Cope, that was her name, was very understanding and simply smiled and shooed me away.

I sat with Angela at lunch again. Only because Rosalie insisted she didn't want to exacerbate my exile from the student body. Now who was being the dramatic one?

It was clearer to me as I watched during lunch that Rosalie was separated from the people at her table, almost as if there was an invisible wall that excluded her. They surrounded her but never actually included her in the conversation.

All I could think was _why?_

The other Cullen was completely absent from the table all together, and I wondered if maybe he was just as excluded as Rosalie.

I did my best to ignore the feeling that welled inside me as I stared at the empty seat next to Rosalie, but the utter disappointment I felt at not being able to see him today was both crushing and alarming at the same time.

I was surprised to see him already sitting at our table when I walked into biology early. His eyes flitted to mine when entered the room, watching me intensely as I made my way to my seat.

Nothing was said as the remainder of the students continued trickling in, and the silence, heavy and awkward for reasons I couldn't understand, still remained through Mr. Banner's spiel.

When the silence was finally broken, what he said shocked and wounded me in one fell swoop.

His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he stared at the worksheet in front of him. He was contemplating something deeply. "Bella? Can we be friends?" he asked softly, his eyes flickering back to mine.

I replied instantly, my inner, snarky self, bubbling to the surface. "What it is with you Cullens asking me that question. Is my forehead stamped or something?" I was worried. Was my loneliness that obvious, or did these Cullens just have a knack for identifying strays?

He snickered under his breath and grinned. "Well, sort of." I think he was joking, but I wasn't sure.

"You're a jerk," I replied, shoving his shoulder and instantly regretting it, my hand tingling again at the brief contact.

He nudged me back gently. "I am kidding," he smiled. "I am assuming that Rosalie got to you then?"

I could only nod in reply, my left arm going numb from his close proximity. "Yeah, she drove me to school this morning."

Cullen pushed up the sleeves of his shirt and continued writing as he talked. "Ah, so that explains why she left so early. I was wondering." The muscles in his forearms clenched as that familiar look of sadness came over his face, nearly the same look as Rosalie's, though his version was mixed with tinges of guilt.

Not wanting to anger him, I chose to ignore my questions about Rosalie. "Why would you want to be friends with me anyway?" I asked. If only he knew how much I wanted to be his friend and more.

"You're different than them Bella. You don't judge instantaneously."

I shook my head in defiance. "That's because no one will tell me what I should be judging. Everyone, at first glance, seemed to bow before Rosalie, but after looking closer, it's like she's an outcast. I just don't understand why anyone would not want to be friends with her." My statement was laced with questions but still I received no answers.

"It's not my story to tell, Bella," he said shaking his head. His face contorted into a look of anger as he spoke. "You need to ask her."

"I did, but she wouldn't say, though she seems to think that the rest of the student body will. Just give me a clue, I really like her." God, I was confused, and Cullen was not helping in the slightest.

"I'm glad. Rose could use a good friend." That was all he said for the remainder of the class. Turning back to his paper and blocking me out, he focused on his work alone.

Cullen followed closely behind me to gym, but said nothing, and I didn't really feel like antagonizing him. It wasn't until gym had ended, me, thankfully with very few bruises, that he stopped me again. Unlike the day before, he didn't grab my arm in protest of me leaving, just placed his hand on my shoulder before I walked outside.

He met my eyes, finally, before speaking. "You never answered my question."

He looked at me just as hopefully as Rosalie did, and I was putty under that smoldering gaze. "Sure Cullen. We can be friends." Even though I wish it was much more.

I didn't give him a chance to answer before I turned and exited the building.

Rosalie was standing right outside the doors, looking anxious and nervous. Her eyes darted nervously amongst the students loitering in the parking lot. She smiled when she saw me though. "You ready to go Bella?"

"Yeah. Lead the way," I said extending my arm dramatically.

She laughed in response. "Yeah. Yeah. Come on Swan."

I followed obediently, but not before catching this sight of wild bronze hair sliding into a shiny, silver car.

Green eyes followed me all the way to Rose's car before blinking and pulling out of the lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Finally! I know. College is freaking time consuming. Anyway, that's all I will say. I have no excuse. I just am not promising a regular update schedule in the future so bear with me please! I love knowing that people are liking the story and hearing from them! Although, I am relatively new to this fanfiction thing so I have a question for everyone: Should I be trying to reply to everyone's reviews? Because honestly, I have no idea if authors do that a lot, and I already barely have enough time just to write the story, let alone reply to everyone's reviews. I will try to answer any questions that are asked in reviews, but what about the other ones? Insight would be wonderful. **

**To those who are sticking with me, this is the last kind of set up chapter, so never fear, the plot will definitely thicken in the next chapter. Thank you for reading! I write for my own enjoyment and for yours! So enjoy!**

**~Riah**

ETWLA Chapter 3:

The next few days passed in the same, idle manner. Rose would pick me up early for school, both of us shying away from personal topics during our quiet conversations. Instead, we focused on the more trivial questions that one contemplates when forming new friendships, or so I would assume, as Rose is quickly becoming the closest friend I have ever had.

She opens up more when I am not prying for personal details, and the accusing glare that she blazes upon everyone else falls away when I ask questions that pertain to only her personality, her likes and dislikes. Genuine feelings of happiness radiate from her when she talks to someone who isn't judging and shows a true interest in simply knowing her.

Yet while one Cullen was blossoming under the foundations of new friendship, the other was sinking fast to a depth where I cannot follow, for fear of never breathing again. The days before Thursday afternoon biology had done nothing to alleviate the tension between Edward and I, whether it be the strong sexual attraction I felt towards him, or the seeming disdain he felt towards me.

He unnerved me in every sense of the word, yet still I found myself drowning in his presence; the more I struggled to surface, the further I felt myself sinking into the quicksand that was Edward Cullen.

And I wasn't the only one.

People hung on his every word no matter where he went. I watched from afar during lunch, realizing that the people that were at that table were not there for Rosalie, but for Edward. They only tolerated her presence because of him.

The logic behind the attraction to Edward evaded me however. He was moody, and often cold, switching between polar opposite personalities like I change clothes.

One minute we would be talking amicably, the next he was twitching and jittery, seemingly ready to burst from his skin.

Sure, he was attractive, more than attractive really. He was the epitome of every teenage girl's fantasy, but doesn't bad boy in the movies have a soft side? Doesn't it take more than a brooding façade and being captain of the varsity baseball team to attract this many followers?

Apparently not.

My guess is that all of the girls want to rescue their dear Captain Cullen, (Yes, I've discovered that C.C. is in fact Edward) to save him from himself and to help him find that inner peace that is buried somewhere within all that turmoil. It was ridiculous.

And yet, by the time biology had ended on Thursday afternoon, I had decided that I was no different; I wanted to save him too, though I couldn't help but set myself apart from the others. They wanted to save him because they wanted to be seen as the savior; their reasons were purely selfish and had nothing to do with Edward himself. Those other girls just wanted to be the 'it' girl, and Edward was the unachievable conquest that would make it happen.

I wanted to save him because he needed to be saved, before he completely self-destructed.

Thursday's biology had started like it had all week. Mr. Banner would hand out the diagrams that went along with our poor frogs, and then would explain what we were looking for in that day's dissection before, finally sending us on our merry ways.

Cullen never said hello again, and neither did I. We would lapse into an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before he would unleash his endless questioning upon me. Thursday was only different because the questions were no longer trivial.

"Why are you here, Bella?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on his work in front of him.

I knew what he was asking, but I didn't know how to answer. "Um, because I have to go to school? Charlie's the chief. I can't just skip," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

I was surprised when he turned his head to me, mockingly glaring, but the surprise didn't come from him just looking at me; it was his eyes. His normally bright green eyes were glossy and bloodshot, almost like he had been crying, yet no less intense. "No Bella, why are you here? In Forks?" he said, emphasizing the word 'here'.

I sighed, not really sure of my answer. I tried anyway. "My mom," I started, his own expression looking surprised now as I continued. "She got remarried. Phil's great, really, but he plays ball professionally."

"Lucky guy," he interrupted, smirking.

"Is that what you want to do, Captain?" I asked, hoping to turn the conversation away from me. "Play baseball?"

He shook his head and shrugged at the same time. "I don't really know. Maybe if the opportunity arose, but I don't know." Turning back to the frog he asked, successfully turning the conversation back to me, "So did your mom send you here?"

I sighed, wallowing disgustingly in my self-pity and exile. I was ashamed of myself. "Not really. I was tired of watching her mope around the house, so I volunteered to go to Forks, spend some quality time with Charlie. They're newlyweds. They shouldn't have to deal with a whiny teenager."

He looked frustrated by my answer, though I didn't know why. "That's rather selfless of you," he replied.

I shook my head. "Maybe. Really I just wanted to get away from all the baseball, but I come here and it's like everyone lives and breathes it."

"You don't like baseball?" Confusion swept over his face. It was kind of cute, the way his forehead scrunched and his eyebrows rose, as if the idea of anyone not liking his beloved game was utterly unbelievable.

"Not really. Although now I am thinking it's probably more of a resentment thing." I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I didn't want to lie either.

His face twisted up even more at that response, and he turned away and focused again on the poor, little frog. Silence lapsed again, not breaking until just before the bell rang.

"You should come to the game tomorrow," he demanded more than suggested.

"No." I laughed. I didn't want to go.

He looked angry now. "Why not? You'd have fun." His voice was harsh as he spoke, scary in its severity. He leaned in closer to me, straightening to full his height. I shrank back a little, intimidated by his close proximity.

Then, as if flipping a switch, his crooked smile was back. "Plus I wear these really tight white pants, and all the girls tell me that my ass looks really good. I bet it would change your mind."

It took me a few moments to steady my breathing, my lungs struggling to gain air when my chest was filled with sand. Barely a foot more to go and I would be completely immersed in the quicksand.

Tight white pants indeed.

"I doubt it. But I'll think about it," I said just to appease him.

Then he pulled the one card he knew I would fall for. "I know Rose would like it if you came. She goes to every game, for me, but she's always alone."

I grimaced. "Thanks for the guilt trip," I said, the sarcasm just seeping in like poison.

"You're welcome," he replied, ever the gentleman and ignoring my attitude.

I wish I could do the same for him.

The bell rang shortly after, shocking me to my feet, but Cullen was even faster. He was gone before I could even pick up my bag.

* * *

While sitting at the kitchen table doing homework with Rose, I shouldn't have been surprised when she grew tired of idle chatter and brought up the Friday night game.

The tell-tale sound of her heavy textbook slamming shut caused me to look to the opposite end of the table. There she sat in all of her glory, arms crossed tightly across her chest and that 'don't even think you are going to say no' look transforming the features of her face.

"Bella?" she asked, her tone weighted with thinly veiled innocence. "Will you go to the game with me tomorrow night? I know you said you don't like baseball, but you don't really have to even pay attention. Just keep me company. Please?"

Ugh, the level of guilt that crept up inside me was astounding. I didn't know if it was possible for anyone to deny Edward anything, but together the Cullen siblings are unstoppable. I was no match for their pleading.

Leaning back in my chair, I still tried to talk some reason into her. "Rose, I really don't want to go. I'm sor…ry," I stuttered.

One raise of her eyebrow and I knew that my pleas were falling on deaf ears, my words bouncing off her concrete skull in cascades of uselessness. "Bella," she said. "You are going. I tried to ask nicely, but now that time is over. You are going."

"Going where?" Charlie's voice echoed loudly behind me. Glancing at the clock, it surprised me how quickly the afternoon had faded into night with Rose as my distraction.

"Oh hey Chief," Rose greeted. "Bella and I are going to the baseball game tomorrow night."

Charlie's eyebrows raised in surprise as he turned to me. "Is that right? I thought you didn't like baseball, Bells?"

I shrugged in reply. "I don't, but have you tried to stand up to the wall of will that is Rosalie Cullen?"

His mannerisms were comical as he glanced back to Rose, who still sat with arms crossed and eyebrow raised, and a look of fear overtook his face. "I see your point. I love you, Bella, but you're on your own," he said nodding to himself. One more fleeting glance between Rose and I and Charlie was fleeing. "Have fun kids."

"Thanks, Dad." It was official. My father was a wimp. I couldn't believe he would just abandon me like that as I watched him back out of the kitchen, hands raised.

Chicken.

"You're not getting out of this, Bella," Rose said once he was gone, her bitch brow rising impossibly higher.

I shoved away from the table, faking frustration at her persistence. "Fuck you, Rose," I replied, barely containing my smile. Though I would never admit it out loud, it felt kind of nice to have someone who wanted you around, wanted to hang out with you on Friday nights and do teenager stuff.

"You wish," she joked as I turned to open the refrigerator, trying to decide what to do for dinner. "Actually, I know my brother would really like it if you came. He wants to show off," she added, turning serious.

The door of the fridge slammed shut loudly, as I turned, maybe a bit too eagerly, to question her. "Why would Edward want to show off? For me?"

She leaned forward on the table, chin resting in her hands. "Are you kidding? He totally likes you."

"Yeah right. He does not like me," I scoffed. His behavior towards me was obviously too hot and cold, like he couldn't decide if he even wanted to see me, let alone talk to me. Yet, I suppose he was like that with everyone he comes into contact with, at least those I have seen in the past four days. Coach Clapp was the only one I've seen hold an actual conversation with him.

"Bella, you're all he has talked about all week," she said shaking her head. "He likes you," she stated, leaving no room for arguments.

I still doubted her, even with her persistence. "Then why does he act," I paused trying to form the right words, "the way he does?"

Epic fail.

"Edward's a good guy. He's just scared."

Cullen sure didn't seem afraid of, well, anything. He had the fearless jock persona down pat.

"Of what?" I asked.

"Of you. For you," she answered shrugging.

"For me? What does that even mean?" She wasn't making any sense. What was it with these cryptic Cullens, and why couldn't you ever just get a straight answer?

"Only Edward can tell you that. What I can tell you, is that he hasn't been this excited for a game in a very long time, and I know it has nothing to do with baseball." She leaned back in her chair and chuckled quietly to herself. "He just wants to impress you. And maybe change your mind. You know, your hatred for the sport and all that."

I rolled my eyes at that. "Ha, you tell him good luck with that. Want to just order a pizza?" I asked, changing the subject, or at least trying to.

"Sure. But Bella?" she asked.

I tilted my head to indicate I was listening.

"We shall see, Swan. We shall see." The laugh that followed was creepy, and maniacal in manner.

I figured that I would need to lock my windows that night.

* * *

By the time the third inning rolled around Friday night, I was freezing my ass off, shaking and shivering as I watched Cullen's own ass in those tight white pants. He looked delicious and cozy warm as I huddled next to Rose, trying, without much luck, to willfully pull down the tight grey and burgundy jersey that she had so kindly forced me into.

My midriff was showing almost to my bra, (my sweater did little to cover anything) leaving me woefully exposed to the entire population of Forks High, not to mention the parents and faculty as well.

So far, my worst fears had been confirmed. Almost every person in this stadium, whether they be an underage student or overage adult, had nachos in their laps and a beer in one hand. Where on earth was my dad, and why didn't anyone care that these kids were getting drunk out of their minds?

Ah, the wonders of small town life.

Even Rosalie had indulged in the pleasure of drinking a beer, having no care that her parents sat just a few rows in front of us. I feared that if I indulged my father would sense it from a mile away, hence I abstained.

Yes, Carlisle and Esme Cullen sat three rows in front looking as elegant and as beautiful as their children. Rosalie was nearly the spitting image of the handsome doctor and Edward a dead ringer for his mother.

I watched with rapt attention as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen watched their son play the game, their emotions rising and falling right along with his. When he was high on the glory of throwing three strikes in a row, their faces lit with the same joy. When the other team hit a home run, both the Cullen parents sat straight and rigid on the bleacher seats, as tense as Edward.

Though I had despised the game for so long, I knew the rules of baseball intimately, and I knew when someone was having a good game. It was only the bottom of the third, but the Spartans were up seven to one. Cullen was throwing strike after strike, the cheers of the stadium echoing loudly every time the ball hit the catcher's mitt.

However, for some odd reason, as I sat and tried to watch the game, I was having an extraordinarily difficult time discerning between the good pitches and the bad. Each time he threw, found myself entranced with every movement of his body. The way his knee pulled up when he was winding for a pitch, white pants tightening around muscular thigh, acted only as a prelude to the pleasure of watching his biceps clench tightly under his long sleeved jersey as his arm shot forward. I was sure the speed of his pitches matched the major leagues, maybe even faster.

Dear lord, my attraction to him was growing swiftly, a freight train heading for a collision, and only grew further when the game ended. The audience was on their feet, cheering and stomping in their excitement. It was oddly freeing to know that so many people could come together for one common interest.

Perhaps the world wasn't as I doomed as I thought.

Cullen turned to the stands, the crooked smile gracing his face different from any I had seen there before. He looked his age for once, carefree as he cheered with the rest of the team, taking off his hat in triumph. I didn't miss the wink that was thrown my direction.

I blushed to the tips of my toes as I watched his eyes sparkle with what I assumed to be a rare happiness. Rose nudged me then, having caught the wink that I was sure was meant for someone else.

"See?" she said, "He does like you, and he hasn't thrown that well in a while." Her expression was serious as she pleaded with me to believe her.

I was tempted to, but fear of rejection held me back. Long lasting insecurities bubbled to the surface, preventing me from embracing the idea of Edward Cullen.

"I just don't get it. He's perfect. What would he see in someone like me?" I suddenly found my fingers to be very interesting.

"Bella, no one is perfect. Not you, not me, and certainly not Edward. I think you are exactly what he has been waiting for," Rosalie tried to reassure me, forcing me to look her in the eyes.

"You're brother played quite a game, didn't he Rose?" we were interrupted by the Cullen patriarch himself. "You must be Bella," Dr. Cullen turned to me. "Rose has been talking about her new friend all week. I am Carlisle, and this is my wife Esme," he said, pulling his wife under his arm and extending his other to me.

I stood to grasp his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," I said, oddly feeling the need to be abnormally formal in their presence.

"Please, Bella. Call me Esme," Mrs. Cullen said, stepping forward and grasping me in a tight embrace. "There is no need for formalities," she assured me.

"Thank you, Esme," I answered.

Esme then turned her attention away from me, her eyes settling on Rosalie in a peculiar way. It was almost as if Esme was making sure that Rose was alright, though I couldn't see anything could have happened at high school baseball game, especially when they were sitting just a few rows in front of us.

"So, Bella. How are you liking Forks so far?" Carlisle said, ripping my gaze away from Rosalie and Esme, the latter whom had moved to hug Rose close.

"It's a little wet for my taste," I joked.

Carlisle smiled in response. "I can only imagine. It must be very different from Phoenix. I know your father was worried about how you were going to adjust."

"That's Charlie for you. He's a worrywart and…" I was distracted by a flicker of movement behind Carlisle. I would recognize that color of bronze anywhere as it peeked out from beneath his Spartans cap.

His smile was blinding, and seemingly out of place on his beautiful face. He always came across as a perpetual brooder, but I decided I liked this lighter side of him.

Carlisle jumped when Edward came up behind him, throwing his arm around his dad's shoulder. "What did you think, Dad? Did you see that curve ball I threw in the fourth inning? It was perfect!" Edward's excitement was infectious, and I felt myself grinning right along with him and Carlisle.

Carlisle laughed at his son's exuberance and grabbed the hat from Edward's head, ruffling his hair like you would a little boy. The love between them was clear. "I did son. You did great," he replied.

"What about you, Bella? Did you enjoy the game?" Edward asked, turning to me, still smiling.

"It was alright I suppose. Mildly entertaining," I said nonchalantly. Truthfully, I had a feeling I was going to be struggling for long while to find something that was more entertaining than watching Edward.

He just shook his head at my reply. "Well I guess it's better than if you were bored out of your mind," he said shrugging.

The grin still hadn't receded. It made me feel tingly in odd, foreign places.

"You going to come out to pizza with us?" Edward continued. "It's a family tradition." I didn't miss the sideway glance towards Rosalie.

"Yeah Bella. Come with us," Rose interceded.

"I really should be getting home. Maybe next time," I said, shaking my head.

"Are you sure, Bella? We would love to have you," Esme cut in. Obviously, Edward and Rosalie got their persuasive skills from their mother, but I held strong this time.

"No, I should really be going," I confirmed. "I will talk to you later Rose?"

"Yeah, of course," she answered.

"Do you have a ride home?" Edward asked, his voice laced with surprising concern.

I had, in fact, texted Charlie a few minutes ago. He was already in the parking lot. "Yeah, Charlie's already here. I will see you guys later. It was really nice to meet you," I finished. The Cullen parents smiled at me and said their goodnights as well.

I found Charlie easily; he was waiting right outside the gate, eyes closed and head leaned back in the cruiser.

His eyes popped open when I slammed the door shut. "Hey, did enjoy the game?" he asked

"It was alright, I guess," I answered, shrugging. I couldn't appear to have been affected. Charlie's cop senses would find that weird.

"Can we go to a Mariners game now?" He looked hopeful, and I felt a little guilty that his dreams would be crushed.

I laughed in response. "Ha, keep dreaming, Dad," I smiled at him.

His shoulders sagged dramatically. "A man can hope, Bells. A man can hope," he shook his head, leaning forward to put the key in the ignition.

I leaned my head against the window for the short ride home, not rethinking me choice until later that evening. I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when I had the sudden urge to kick myself.

Here I was, all alone, listening to the ruckus that was Charlie's snores, when I could have been basking in the warmth that was Edward's smile.

I instantly regretted my choice to not go to pizza when I pictured Edward, happy for the first time since I had come to Forks.

He was an enigma, and I found myself unable to determine what exactly these feelings he was evoking within me were.

And I had spoiled possibly the only chance I would get to find out.

_Great going, Bella_, I thought to myself, before rolling over and finally drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow! It's been forever since an update, I know! And I am sorry! RL is truly crazy, but there definitely will not be this large of gap between chapters again. I hope that everyone hasn't lost interest in this story because I can tell you the plot is aout to ticken in the next couple of chapters. Just as a recap, last chapter Bella and Rosalie grew a little closer, Bella sensed some odd things btween Charlie and Rose, Edward wants to be friends with Bella, and and Bella and Rose both went to Edward's baseball game. **

**If you're still with me, let me know what you think in reviews. Feedback from readers is everything to writers! Anyway, enjoy! ;)**

**~Riah**

ETWLA Chapter 4:

That night was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

And it most certainly was not the last.

It had been six torturous nights since the game, and my dream-induced lack of sleep had left me bleary-eyed and cranky by lunch time on Thursday. Rose and I had taken to sitting together in the cafeteria each day, and by Tuesday I had convinced Angela Webber to join us as well, and where Angela went, Ben Cheney followed.

After ceremoniously falling asleep in fourth period for the third consecutive day, Thursday had come, and with it, the sunshine, a rarity in this sleepy town. So, instead of moving to the cafeteria as what had become the normal routine after fourth period, Angela and I left English in a rush, hoping to score a table outside.

However, our hasty rushing was unnecessary.

An elegantly waving hand immediately caught my attention as we stepped outside, my eyes roaming across the table Rosalie had procured. Thankfully, it was empty.

I had not only spent the last six days wondering if taping my eyelids open would actually keep me awake, but had also spent them studiously trying to avoid the _other_ Cullen.

It wasn't necessarily anything personal towards him, but rather a means of self-preservation. Ever since the game, those tight white pants, and the rather raunchy dreams that had plagued my nighttime slumber, I had a an innate fear that upon spending any more than ten seconds in his presence, I would simply melt into a sizzling pile of Bella-goo.

Anytime I had seen him in the hallways since Friday, an odd sensation would suddenly come over me. It was as if my bones had suddenly turned to jelly, and I would glance around just to make sure that no one had noticed I had now taken on the façade of an invertebrate jellyfish.

The worst of it took place in fifth period.

It happened the same way each day. I would walk into the room, and he would already be sitting there, smiling, or rather smirking, in my direction, one eyebrow quirked, and looking scrumptious in whatever color, tight fitting V-neck he had decided to wear that day.

My face would heat to a temperature that surely would melt the North Pole, and I would then proceed to trip over thin air once the flames had eaten away the last vestiges of my operative brain cells for the day.

It was amazing how the week before Cullen had simply irritated me to no end. Sure, he had looked just as beautiful then as he did now, but my dreams were of such an embarrassing level of sexuality and nudity, that it was impossible for me to contain myself in his presence.

There was nothing I had ever wanted more than to run my fingers through that unruly bronze hair. It more than anything, except perhaps his eyes, had me panting every time I was within twenty feet of him.

I was sure by now he thought me some sort of mentally lacking idiot as my ability to speak to him had suddenly, quite literally, seemingly vanished overnight.

That or he surely thought me to be a monumental bitch, for the few words I had managed to squeeze from my vocal chords had been snarky and rude, following in the same fashion as our very first conversation.

Why, just the day before, Cullen had simply asked to borrow my bio book because he had left his at home while studying late the night before, and instead of answering coherently and politely, I stumbled over my words as he stared at me with those smoldering eyes, and then furious at myself, had finally managed to spit out a haughty and resounding _no, _followed by some not so pleasant imagery of just where he could shove his questions and his book.

Yes, it is official. Cullen must think I am a crazy loon.

Sliding into the picnic style bench opposite to Rosalie, I couldn't help but smile as she and Angela greeted each other warmly. It had taken all of five minutes for Angela to get over her fear of Rosalie and now the two were almost as inseparable as Rosalie and myself.

I rested my head on my hand and closed my eyes, basking in the sunlight, as Angela and Rosalie excitedly rambled on about the spring dance coming up in a few weeks.

The warmth of the sun was soothing on my pale skin and battered brain, and it was not long before I felt myself slipping into a peaceful state of unconsciousness once again.

I was, however, snapped awake to my forehead smacking the wooden table and the sounds of Rosalie and Angela snickering in the background.

"Seriously Bella?" Rose laughed. "That was just ridiculous." Her eyes shone with mirth as she took great enjoyment of my pain, watching me grip my now throbbing head with one hand.

I shook my head at her cruelty. "You know, Rose? Karma is a bitch. So just watch yourself, she's gonna come back and bite you in the ass," I spat at her, my lack of sleep and ever growing, Edward induced frustration seeping into my tone.

"Alright, that's it," she said, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at her. "You've been moody for the past two days. What's got your panties in a twist?"

I glared at her.

She sighed and leaned back, shaking her head at me. "C'mon Bella. I thought we were all friends now?"

"We are. I'm just tired okay?" Dreams of myself tying your brother to my bed have been plaguing me for days now! "It's too quiet here. I miss the sound of traffic. I can't sleep without it." My eyes pleaded with her to drop it.

"Uh huh," she said, raising an eyebrow at me. "You know I am not going to give in until you tell me, so might as well just give in," she insisted, penetrating me with those brilliant emerald eyes.

"Give in to what, sis? Surely, Bella is bowing to your every whim by now," the teasing tone trickled over and surrounded me, as _he_ came up behind me.

Of all the people…

Of all the moments…

Of course. Cullen would show up now.

A very familiar tingling sensation slid through my body at the sound of the voice and at the smell of the breath that wafted over me.

I could feel the heat emanating from his body as he moved impossibly close to my back, before sliding into the bench, right next to me.

He did that on purpose.

I tensed, watching Ben give Angela a kiss on the cheek, and feeling a warm, hard thigh press up against my own.

Must he sit so close?

Yet somehow, it was not nearly close enough as he lined his body up with mine, ankle to shoulder. I could literally feel the flames of sensation licking up my body and melting away my skin.

Mere seconds had passed, and Rose was still sticking her tongue at her brother, a childish reciprocation to his teasing, but I was lost in my own world of paralyzing want, frozen solid by the intense feelings rising at his close proximity.

"Please Eddie boy. Everyone knows you're the real drama queen here," Rosalie snarled.

"Ow!"Edward shouted, making me jump. "Was that seriously necessary Rosalie?" I watched as he leaned down and rubbed his shin.

"That's what you get, you nosy ass." The icy tone was offset by the broad grin across her face. "Anyway, before Bella here decided it was nap time, we were talking about the dance. Ang and I want to go shopping after school tomorrow. You're coming," she added to me, Angela nodding next to her in agreement.

It was obviously a mistake on my part to have set up Rosalie and Angela up as friends, as Rosalie had a new minion. I rolled my eyes at their devious camaraderie. Apparently the relationship between Rosalie and I had moved past invitations and devolved into demands that must be followed. The look in Rose's eyes left no room for discussion.

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes _again._

"You know if you do that too often your eyes might get stuck that way," Cullen teased quietly, poking me in the thigh. He had no idea what his touch did to me, but the only noticeable response I could give was to do the exact thing he had just tried to warn me off doing.

A deep, throaty chuckle that made certain things clench sounded from beside me in response to my actions. "I am surprised you are letting my sister boss you around that way. I didn't peg you as the type to let one Rosalie Cullen lead you around," he said, almost whispering, obviously not wanting anyone to hear what we were saying.

I had been trying not to give him the satisfaction of harboring my full attention, but I couldn't resist the pull to look at him any longer. An adorable sideways grin had his eyes squinting in mirth. He tilted his head in a shrug. "I mean, you're so, so, something with me," he added, tripping over his words.

"Hmmph. Yeah, something," I sighed. "I feel like I should apologize to you," I said, thinking over all the bitchy, unwarranted things I had said to him in the last week. The truth was, I acted defensively around him because I was afraid him, of the power that he held over me.

He looked at me curiously. "I've said some not so nice things to you, and they weren't really warranted." He smiled at me. "But to be fair, your moods are kind of hot and cold. Is there something I did?" I continued.

"It's not you, Bella," he said, shaking his head. "I asked you to be my friend because I want you to be. I am just worried about what being my friend might do to you. If you were smart, you'd stay away from me."

"So let's just say for arguments sake that I'm not smart. What then?" I asked, confused at his self-deprecating nature.

He didn't look away as he spoke. "Then I guess we will both just have to be not smart together."

My heart stuttered at 'together'.

The ironic thing was that Edward was indeed very smart. We sailed through Thursday's lab easily, and the last twenty minutes of class was spent in a light manner. Gone was the brooding boy with moods that flash like lightning, and in his place sat a carefree, seventeen year old boy who thoroughly enjoyed flicking my ear and pinching my thigh.

They always said that when we were little, if a boy teases, chases, and does nothing but try to annoy you, then that means he likes you.

I was hoping that sentiment remained true forever.

* * *

It didn't take long for Rose and Angela to figure out that shopping, especially for clothes, wasn't really my thing. They both gawked, mouths hanging open in shock, as I told them that I really just wanted to go to a cool bookstore I had found online.

They had kidnapped me straight after school, taking full advantage of the unusual early release, and whisked me away to local Port Angeles. For the last four hours I had done nothing but nod my head and smile at each dress that they tried on, and my lack of enthusiasm had becoming as frustrated as I was.

It was almost five o'clock, and although the game that night didn't start until eight, we had agreed to meet Carlisle and Esme at seven, and I was anxious to make it to the bookstore.

Smiling and telling Rose and Ang that I would meet them back there in an hour, I stepped outside and took a deep breath. The tiny boutique had started to feel claustrophobic, and for once the moisture in the air was a welcome reprieve.

The tiny bookstore wasn't too difficult to find, and I easily found myself lost among the dusty shelves of volumes and classics. My pile of books grew as I wandered down the aisles, and soon the findings in my arms grew too heavy. Moving towards the front of the store, I happened past a clock and almost dropped my books in surprise.

Six O'clock would soon come and go, and Rose was sure to be pissed if I was late back to the boutique. I hastily took my books to the counter, squeezing my eyes close to avoid looking at the price. The shopkeeper chuckled before waving as the quaint little bell on the door handle rang as I walked out to greet the cool night air.

I was sure that the direction I had come from had been from the left, so I began to walk back that way. I took in the sights of small town life as I tried to make way back to the boutique. Little white lights lined the streets, having come on at dusk, and tall space heaters stood on the corners of the streets, kids my own age gathered around and laughing.

The families that wandered the streets with smiles on their faces were worlds apart from the trendy socialites that rushed from one end of Phoenix to the other. I missed the sunshine and the hustle of the city life in Arizona, but there was also something innately appealing about the contented smiles and ease that seemed to grace the features of the people who were privy to this quiet life.

The quaint storefronts were so new to me in fact, that they drove me to the point of distraction, and when I finally noticed my surroundings again after, in classic Bella fashion, tripping over thin air, I realized I had no idea where I was. My surroundings were completely unfamiliar to me.

The streets were narrowing the further I walked, and I could see the point in which the sidewalk dead ended up ahead. The few people that had been my accompaniment were now almost completely gone, leaving only a few lonely stragglers like myself to wander.

My only options were to either turn around or to turn left or right. Making a decision, I headed left around the next corner, not realizing my mistake until it was too late.

This street was not really a street, but rather a sordid, dark alleyway, accentuated by the disappearance of both the sun and the street lights. It was as I stood at the mouth of the alley that the strangest feeling came over me. I had only felt it a few times before, mainly when someone was staring at me during class, but in this instant I didn't need to turn around to know that I was being watched.

My spine tingled as I tilted my head slightly to see behind me and search for an escape, however, to no avail. What I saw was unnerving, as not one but two grungy looking men were making their way towards me, their gazes stunted and penetrating. Each one was coming from a different direction, leaving me no choice but to move ahead.

Fear made me move hastily and as fast as my feet would carry me without breaking into a run, but speed made my clumsiness multiply tenfold. I tripped over a broken piece of pavement at the other end of the alley and fell hard to my hands and knees. The sharp sting of my palms scraping open made me stumble further as I pushed myself back to my unsteady feet.

I had stumbled into the next cross-section, again finding myself trying to decide which way to go. I could now hear heavy footfalls behind me, but when I looked to my left, the hulking man I now saw coming my way, teeth gleaming in the moonlight, I realized an awful truth.

I was being herded.

Visions of what these men would do to me if caught suddenly flashed through my head, and I was hit with a wave astonishment mixed with fear as I found myself suddenly sprinting faster than ever had before to the right.

I had heard stories of an adrenaline rush allowing people to accomplish amazing feats, but never had the theory held more truth in my mind than right then. I put on an amazing burst of speed as my 'flight' reflex kicked in full throttle and was able to jump high enough to grasp the top bar of the chain link fence that stood in my path. My body hurled itself to the ground on the other side, my new found feet not missing a beat.

It was quite an out of body experience.

I saw a broad opening up ahead at the same time I hear a crash of chain link, followed by footsteps getting closer.

I could tell the break was a parking lot. Hope flooded my veins as I imagined people walking to their cars. However, as quickly as the hope had come, it violently faded away.

The parking lot was deserted except for three more men that stood waiting, presumably for me, the prey to their predator stances.

I breathed heavily as I glanced around. The men following me had caught up and were now helping form an ever tighter growing circle around me.

Something about 'singing' popped into my thoughts as I contemplated a strategy for fighting back and tried to squelch the heightening panic. Pretty much every self-defense tactic I had ever learned was informally learned and stemmed from my extensive movie-watching and book-reading knowledge, nothing of real value.

My chances were looking pretty slim.

I was resolved to fight until my last breath, never giving up, but I also realized that the odds weren't really, nor will they ever be in my favor. Oddly enough, as I took a moment to remember everything good in my life and say a silent prayer, the only image I could conjure was of smoldering green eyes and beautiful bronze hair.

My heart clenched with the realization that the only opportunity I had been given to know Edward Cullen had been wasted extensively, and that I would never get such an opportunity again. I didn't even know his middle name.

It made me nauseous.

And so did the bitter smell of beer laced breath that invaded my sense as the wolves descended on me. I braced myself as one hand reached out towards my face.

The sudden squealing of tires halted the hand unexpectedly, and every head turned, including mine, to greet the heavenly sight of a familiar vehicle drifting around the corner.

The car skidded to a stop mere feet from the circle, causing the men to scatter back and away. A familiar, feminine voice shouted at me to get in as the passenger door of the bright red BMW swung open.

After the door slammed shut, with me safely inside, and the engine growled menacingly at the dispersing crowd, the only audible sounds were the soft humming of the engine as we sped away and my harsh breathing.

Rosalie was eerily silent as she clenched her jaw and squeezed the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white. She didn't look at me as Port Angeles seemed to quickly fade in the distance. Instead her eyes stared straight ahead. I am surprised the windshield didn't shatter under the intensity of her gaze.

"You're bleeding," she spat through clenched teeth, anger lacing her tone. I didn't understand why she would be angry with me. This silent, hostile Rosalie was one I hadn't yet encountered, but surely she wouldn't be so furious with me for being late when I had clearly almost been…

I shuddered. "I know. I scraped my hands and knees when…"

"No," Rose interrupted, nostrils flaring. I couldn't take my eyes away from her. She was menacing. "Your thigh. It's bleeding."

I slowly turned my gaze to my thighs, like backing away from a bristling, caged animal, and the sight that greeted me made me want to hurl. A deep gash bubbled through my ripped jeans, its length spanning from just above my knee, outward, almost to my hipbone. How could I not have felt that?

"It must have happened when I climbed that chain link fence. I didn't really have a choice." I tried to explain, more to myself than anyone, thinking an explanation would somehow alleviate her fury. Clearly it didn't work when she shook her head and began shouting. "Do you have any idea what those vile creatures were thinking? What they would have done to you, Bella? What were you thinking, wandering off on your own like that?" she raved and ranted, leaving me shocked into silence.

She was acting like this was somehow my fault, like I asked to get lost and for those animals to follow me. Yes, I guessed it was partly my fault for not paying attention to where I was going, but I never wanted that to happen.

"Rose, I didn't get lost on purpose. I didn't mean to get…"

"Well you should have been paying closer attention!" she yelled, literally stealing the words right from my mouth. "You have no idea what they would have done to you!"

"I think I have a fairly good idea," I bit back, feeling haughty and defensive under her judgment. My imagination was running wild, the dark possibilities coupled with every story of… I had ever heard in the news playing on repeat in my head.

"No! You don't know," She startled me with her sharp voice, though it was growing quieter. "You don't know," she whispered, voice hitching on something not seen.

"How would you know any better than me? You know what they were thinking?" I accused. "How did you even find me? Where was I?"

"I know because it happened. To me."

"What?" I asked, shocked, staring at her profile.

She didn't answer, so I prompted again. "Rosalie?"

She ignored me.

It was a long, silent ride after that as I thought over the meaning of her words. Had Rosalie almost been…or had she really been..?

I didn't know.

I also didn't know where we were going or what we would tell Carlisle and Esme. Where was Angela? I didn't know, and I didn't know why my leg didn't hurt. The last could most likely be attributed to shock.

I began shaking, probably from shock, but I wasn't sure. It could have also been from the cold. It was freezing outside, especially to someone who grew up in a desert, yet the heater was blasting cold air instead of hot. Or maybe that was me as well. I didn't know.

I didn't really know anything at the moment.

The long stretch of wooded, winding road we were now on was a clue as to where we going, though I had not been there before. It was actually quite obvious, and would have been to anyone that had met them, that the large, modern estate at the end of the drive was the Cullen abode. I would've known even if Carlisle and Esme were standing anxiously on the front porch when we pulled up.

I was feeling lethargic now, and an inappropriate burst of laughter bubbled out of me as I watched Carlisle run to the car in slow motion, Esme skipping not far behind. It was then that Rosalie looked at me and spoke, grasping my head to turn it face her as it tried to loll back against the headrest. "What almost happened to you, happened to me for real, and a hell of a lot more," She said with both conviction and sadness across her features at the same time. Then she was gone, the driver's door slamming in her wake.

I felt myself being lifted as I watched Rosalie sprint to the house. She moved a lot quicker than Carlisle and Esme had. I vaguely heard Carlisle, who was now holding me against his chest shout at Esme. _He shouldn't be shouting at his wife_, I thought. "Text Edward and tell him we aren't making it to the game, and call Charlie. Tell him to meet us at the hospital. This gash is way too deep for me to take care of here. Oh, and take care of Rosalie. You know must have affected her." Carlisle's voice grew softer when he talked of his daughter.

Edward? Charlie?

A soft swaying was comforting and soothing me to sleep. "Keep your eyes open, Bella" a beautiful voice said, though the words were slurred and groggy. But I couldn't

The darkness up ahead was much to appealing, and coupled with the warmth I was snuggled into, I couldn't resist. Slowly, I slipped away, the only sound I heard after being that of an angel's voice worriedly shouting my name.

**A/N: Don't forget to tell me what you think! R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know, you're shocked! An update this quickly? Believe it. LOL. I've actually kind of been on a roll with this story in the past week. I even have another chapter almost completed after this one! Some may feel that this chapter is kind of slow, but it is an important one nonetheless. Anyway, read and tell me what you think. Everything that happened to Rose is going to start to unravel and play a key part in the rest of this story so pay attention to the tiny details, even if they may seem not so important. Alright, hope you're sticking with me. Remember, feedback is key!**

**~Riah**

**P.S. Sorry this one is kind of short. the next chapter will be longer and more 'action-packed'.**

ETWLA Chapter 5:

Something was beeping, loudly and incessantly, but that sound was not the one that was slowly pulling me from the surrounding darkness. I could hear someone's soft breathing coming from just a few feet away, and I desperately wanted to open my eyes and see who it was coming from, but my eyelids were too heavy. My eyelashes felt plastered to my cheeks, and when I lifted my hand to try and rub the stickiness away, it was stopped halfway to my face by something hooked into my arm.

I had vague recollections of pieces of conversations, mostly between Carlisle and Charlie, that flitted across my memory, but I was lost as to the amount of time it had been between and since those words were spoken.

I could recall the swaying motions of being carried from Carlisle's car to the sliding glass doors of the emergency room but nothing else until I felt a warm, rough hand stroking the hair back from my forehead. I could almost see the drop of Charlie's shoulders as he sighed in relief when Carlisle's voice assured him I would be fine.

_Loss of blood, panic, shock. _

Those were the words that Carlisle, or Dr. Cullen in this instance, used to describe my condition. I was unsure if he told Charlie all of the circumstances or if Carlisle even knew the extent of what happened himself. Rosalie had sped off like a bat out of hell once we reached the driveway.

I could only guess what must have been running through her mind.

_What almost happened to you happened to me, for real. And a hell of a lot more._

I had no idea what 'a hell of a lot more' entailed, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to find out.

A chair to my left scraped across the floor. "Don't pull too hard. You'll pull out your IV," I heard, a tingling sensation running up my arm as my hand was gently placed down. "Can you open your eyes?" he asked. "Bella?"

I was almost afraid to open them now, for fear that it would all be a dream, but the hand that had grasped my own now moved up to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, fingers trailing softly across my cheek, and I could no longer resist.

"Edward," I breathed in relief when I looked into those deep, emerald eyes, though they appeared almost black in the darkness of the room. "Am I dreaming?"

I was clearly high on pain killers.

He chuckled in response, a small grin appearing on his face as he looked down at his hands twisting together. "No," he said shaking his head. "You're not dreaming. But I almost wish you were." A dark look crossed his face before he looked back up at me, his jaw clenching. "Don't ever do that to me again, Bella," he added, looking more serious than I had ever seen anyone look.

I was frozen, solid like a block of ice, at the intensity with which he spoke. He shook his head, seemingly internally berating himself for something.

"I know we haven't known each for very long, or hardly at all, but I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you. I would," his forehead wrinkled before continuing, "I can't even think, or stand the thought. What happened to my sister, if that had happened to you, I think I would have…I don't even know myself."

I didn't know what to say. Internally, I was turbulently warring between two sides of myself: one that was telling me I was reading into his words too much, and the other, that was telling me that I was reading them just right, that he cared for me, that he wanted to _be _with me the way that I realized I wanted to be with him.

"I…"

"What were you thinking?" he interrupted angrily, thrusting the full force of his glare upon me. "Why would you wander off on your own like that, to go traipsing off in a strange town that you don't know, what could've happened to you? Anything could happen, even here in tiny little Forks, where everyone knows each other and everyone tries to be your best friend!" He was ranting, his eyes frantic as they repeatedly glossed over me. His words were laced with a double meaning.

"I'm sorry. Edward, I know that I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings, but…" I tried to calm him.

"Well you should've been!" He shouted, shoving out of his chair and turning away. The fingers on both his hands reached up to pull off his hat, which I now realized matched the rest of his Spartans uniform that he was currently wearing, and grapple with the short strands that I longed to run my own fingers through. He must have come straight here after the game. "You should've been more careful!" he added with just as much fervor, turning back around just in time to see me flinch back from his anger.

He immediately looked sorrowful and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it," he said sitting back down and leaning close. "I just, feel, very protective of you, and I am tired of trying to stay away from you."

"Then don't," I whispered.

He breathed a sigh of relief and showed his teeth in a smile, taking one of my hands and wrapping both of his around it. They were hot, their warmth seeping into my skin more potently in the cold, sterile hospital room.

I agreed with everything he said, even if his words were spoken out of anger and possibly a tiny amount of fear or panic. I _should _have been paying closer attention. But with his words I also realized that if he knew what happened, then Charlie would have known what happened by now, and if Charlie knew what happened, then why wasn't he here?

I hated to break his concentration as he gripped my hand, but I was stumped as to why my father wouldn't be here. "What time is it?" I asked Edward.

He didn't look up. "It's just past one in the morning. Charlie just left a half hour ago to go home and shower and get some stuff. He'll probably be back soon."

"Does he know you're here?"

"No one knows I am here. It's way past visiting hours, but with Rosalie locked away in her room and my mom pounding on her door, Mom told me what happened. I didn't get home until almost midnight, but I had to see you," he said, gazing up at me imploringly.

"I'm glad," I admitted and tried to smile.

"Me too."

We lapsed into silence for a while, finally comfortable with that seemingly small declaration. He was so close to me, I could feel his breath, warm and minty and Edward, but I wanted him closer. I was afraid to close my eyes, fearing I would see _them_ again. I had always had strange dreams.

"Will you hold me?" I asked, a small part of me still afraid of rejection.

He didn't answer, but instead simply moved from his chair to slide onto the bed next to me. It wasn't until there was no space between us, his arms wrapped around me tight, with my head on his shoulder, that I realized I had been cold. I was flooded with an irresistible sense of warmth and contentment, despite the previous events of that evening.

My thoughts drifted as we lay there.

I wondered how Rose was doing, and if she was still angry with me. Curious was a mediocre word to describe the intense questions I had running through my head. As morbid as it may have sounded, I wanted to know every detail of what had happened to her, but it was more because I was sure that her…accident?... was the root of Edward's self-deprecation. I just couldn't figure out how.

The anxious, need to know now part of me wanted to badger Edward for details right then, while I had the opportunity, but the compassionate side of me knew that I should wait for Rose to tell me. Edward had said once that it was her story to tell, and he was right.

"I can't stay," Cullen whispered, nuzzling the top of my head. Did he just…sniff me? He was a strange one, this boy. "Chief Swan will be back soon, and I don't think he would like to find us like this."

My heart plummeted. I didn't want him to go. In fact, I didn't think I ever wanted him to leave again. My fingers curled tightly into his jersey as he started to pull away.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" I could only nod in response.

Then he did something completely unexpected. The heart monitor literally stuttered and went silent for a moment as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against my forehead. My eyes fell closed in utter enjoyment at the unfamiliar sensation. The only boy I had ever kissed besides my father had been obnoxious and slobbery.

My reaction then was to gag, but now this simple act of affection left me breathless. His own breath wafted over me, warm and sweet, when he gently rested his forehead against mine.

I think I whimpered when he pulled away.

Watching him turn and walk to the door, I slid down in the bed and leaned my head back, contemplating how it would be possible for me to go back to sleep.

"Oh, and Bella?" he asked, turning back from the doorway and bracing his hands on either side. 'When Rosalie talks to you, remember that she has been severely traumatized. She's still angry, and tonight has only agitated and regurgitated that anger." The expression on his face made my heart clench as he continued. "And please, believe me when I say that I never meant for any of it to happen."

I blinked, and then he was gone.

* * *

Sleep was restless, and when I next awoke it was to a dull, grey light streaming through the window. I could make out the tell-tale sounds of Charlie snoring in the chair next to me, still accompanied by the annoying beeping of the heart monitor.

As I tried to force the sleep from my eyes and the cloudiness from my head, I immediately regretted doing so when a burning fire licked up my injured thigh. The pain medication seemed to disappear almost instantly, and I couldn't help but gasp from the pain, startling Charlie from his slumber.

"Bells?" he said, standing and crossing over to me. "Are you alright? What's wrong?" The panic was clear across his features, and I couldn't imagine the images that must have run through his mind when he found out what happened.

"Yeah, Dad. My leg just really hurts."

Charlie was clearly lost on the soft side of parenting and comfort, but I loved him all the more for trying. "Don't worry, baby," he soothed, wrapping his arms around me. "Everything's going to be alright."

I welcomed his embrace as, suddenly, being in my Daddy's arms brought a rush of tears to my eyes. Childhood memories of my hero and protector came unbidden to my mind. He always told me that it was okay to cry if I wanted to, and right then, his shoulder was the perfect place to let my tears flow.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again, Bella. I love you so much. You're all I have left," he spoke after a while, when I had calmed my sobbing to sniffles.

"I love you too, Daddy."

Still basking in the comfort of a rare, parental embrace, I left my head on his shoulder until we heard a knock on the door. Instead of letting me go, Charlie simply slid up to the bed and sat so I could still lean against him.

After a few seconds of silence, the door creaked open and in walked Dr. Carlisle Cullen in all his glory; scrubs, lab coat, and more. It was impossible to not find him utterly beautiful, and I was sure that many a nurse had been left swooning in his wake throughout his career.

"Morning Chief," he greeted, a charming grin plastered to his face, despite the not so happy circumstances. He walked over to the bedside, shaking Charlie's hand and greeting me as well. "Good morning Bella. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm okay. My leg is aching pretty badly, though."

Dr. Cullen nodded, almost like he was expecting my answer. "I'm sure it is. That was a pretty nasty gash you had there, sixteen stitches, and I am sure the morphine has just about worn off. I'll make sure to prescribe you a good dose of pain killers before we get you out of here today," he stated, moving to the computer in the corner of the room and pulling up what I assumed was my chart. "Do you remember what brought you here last night, Bella?"

"I remember everything up until Rose brought me to your house. From there it gets a little blurry," I answered, fighting back the sudden headache I had acquired from trying to sort through my fuzzy memories.

"Well, you lost a lot of blood, but you were very lucky. The wound just barely missed the femoral artery. However, the extreme loss of blood coupled with the trauma of the evening's events, if the way that Rosalie relayed them to me was correct, caused you to panic and fall into shock. That would explain the memory confusion. What exactly did you cut your leg on anyway?"

"It was a chain link fence. My leg must have caught on it when I was climbing over, trying to…run away," I hesitated, not wanting to burden Charlie with all the details. "I honestly didn't even notice it until Rose pointed it out in the car."

The hospital bed actually shook with the force of Charlie's flinch as I told Carlisle what happened.

"How is Rose, anyway? She ran off before I could ask anything last night. She just said that what almost happened to me…happened to her, for real. Is that true?"

I wanted to take back the question right after the words left my tongue, remembering my resolve with Edward late last night.

Did that really happen?

The look of sadness that came over Carlisle's face made me feel extremely selfish for even bringing it up. I never wanted to be the cause of that kind of pain.

"Bella, Rose has been through a lot in the last year, a lot more than most people know. I think you should let her tell you. When she's ready," Charlie answered instead of Dr. Cullen. Instantly I realized, from the look on Charlie's face, that he must have been involved in Rosalie's case somehow. It would explain the odd connection I had sensed between them.

"You're right, Dad. I should wait for her to tell me. If she wants to," I replied looking down at my fingers wringing together. I used to be an addicted nail biter, and although I hadn't felt the urge in a long while, I suddenly found myself wanting to reduce my nails to stumps.

A throat cleared from across the room, Carlisle moving back to my bedside and placating his expression. He talked as he checked me over. "Well, Bella, why don't you lay back and get some rest. I'll be back to check and wrap your leg in a few hours. Your vitals and leg look good, so I'd say we'll have you out of here by this evening, alright?"

"Thanks Carlisle," Charlie said in my stead, as Dr. Cullen smiled politely and left the room. "Well, Bells," he said turning to me. "You heard him. Go back to sleep. We'll be out of here in no time," he continued, brushing my hair back from my forehead. "Oh, and when we get home? Don't forget to call your mother. She's really worried about you."

"You told her?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

He only chuckled and smiled with chagrin as I huffed and turned away, the security I had earlier felt in his arms now gone.

I was just drifting off when I heard him say, "I am really glad you're okay, Bella. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I just got you back." His voice was thick with what sounded like tears, but I had to be wrong.

My protector never cried.

I cried for him though, out of relief, out of fear, and out of guilt.

* * *

Eventually I was discharged, and Charlie was helping me inside the cruiser from the wheel chair that was enforced hospital policy. My leg had been wrapped and bandaged multiple times, leaving it stiff and unable to bend very well. Dr. Cullen said I wouldn't need crutches unless I truly wanted them, just to take it easy until the stitches were set to come out.

Edward didn't show back up at the hospital, and his lack of appearance left me thinking I really did imagine our whole conversation. If not for the lingering scent of him in the hospital room, I couldn't have believed it had been true.

And if he really had been there, then that meant that the final words that Edward had spoken had been true as well, but they didn't make any sense. How could he have had anything to do with what happened to Rosalie? She was his sister.

Edward was one of a kind, I was sure of it, and he left me jumbled into a messy assortment of confoundedly difficult to put together puzzle pieces.

He made angry. He made me frustrated. He made me flustered, confused, sad, and incandescently happy:

ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

I was a mess, and when Charlie looked at me funny on the way home, I realized that my internal babbling must have somehow been translated out loud into mangled, spoken words. I think I apologized somewhere in the midst of my rambling, but I couldn't be sure until Charlie simply nodded once and turned his eyes back to the road.

I had never in my life met someone more beautiful and self-deprecating than Edward Cullen. He was the epitome of high school king on the outside (times about a million), but took first place prize for emotional bad boy, with a myriad of problems. He wasn't emotional in a feminine way, but his mood swings seriously gave me whiplash. I could only hope that the Edward I saw the previous night was here to stay.

I was more than surprised when we pulled into the driveway, and a red BMW slid up on the curb behind us. I hadn't expected to hear from Rosalie today, or even for a while. I understood why she would want to stay away.

The clouds had turned from light to dark grey on the drive home and were now heavy-laden with moisture, moisture that was now softly dripping from the sky. The dark look on Rosalie's face matched the timbre of the clouds, her expression filled with turmoil over what I am sure were horrid memories.

It had only been two weeks since we had struck up a closer friendship than any I had ever had before, and I hoped, as Charlie came around to my door and wrapped his arm around my waist in support, that she would feel comfortable enough to confide in me.

"Rosalie," Charlie greeted, nodding his head. He was the first to speak as Rosalie exited her car and began following us up to the front porch.

"Chief," she replied back, her eyes shifting from him to me, and back again as we stood under the overhang. The rain was really starting to come down. "Bella, do you think we could talk for a few minutes?" she asked. Her eyes glanced to Charlie one more time. "Alone?"

Normally it would take more prodding, but Charlie seemed to get the gist of Rose's subtle hint this time as he looked between the two of us. "Alright, alright. I get it," he said, unlocking the front door. "Girl talk. Just don't be out here for long. We don't need you to get sick now too, Bells."

"I'll be fine, Dad. I can make it inside," I assured. He took one more look at both of us, then nodded and retreated into the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

After the door clicked shut, we both stood there silently for a few moments. I figured it was best to let Rosalie talk when she wanted and for her to decide what to say without my prompting. I knew that I thought of her as my best friend already, but I wasn't sure if she felt the same, and I didn't want to seem intrusive to her or make her think that I was just prying for details.

She looked like she was thinking really hard over what she wanted to say to me, and I would allow her the time to do so.

Eventually she breathed a breath of what I think was resolve and began speaking. "Look, just let me get this out, okay? Can you do that? No interruptions?"

"Of course."

"Good," she said relieved. "Bella, I want you to know that I'm sorry for anything I may have said last night. I know that it wasn't your fault. I just, last night brought back a lot of unwanted memories for me, and I didn't mean to take them out on you."

I wanted to interrupt and tell her that I understood, but the reality was that I don't think I really did understand. I escaped, and she apparently didn't. Still, I kept silent.

"I don't think I am ready to tell you everything, and honestly, I don't know if I ever will be. Most of the people in this town don't know the truth, which is why they have isolated me the way they have. I don't blame them," she huffed. "If the rumors that they thought to be true actually had happened, I would isolate me too." She moved back to lean against the railing, running her fingers through her hair; a nervous habit that mimicked her brother's.

"The only reason people even tolerate me is because of Edward, He's Forks' classic golden boy. Now, don't get me wrong. I love my brother, and I would do anything for him, but I hate him too. This all began with him. I know it sounds irrational, but nothing would've ever happened if not for Edward."

She took a deep breath. "It happened last January, right after Christmas break. Conditioning had just started for baseball season, and Edward was already slated to be Captain and starting pitcher, the first sophomore ever in Forks History. The problem was that there was a senior who had been captain the year before, and he fully expected to have the position again. I was his revenge."

Rosalie stopped talking and let that sink in for minute. I could see she was struggling to hold back tears. It made me want to tell her she didn't have to say anymore, but I promised her I wouldn't interrupt. She reached up to wipe a stray tear before continuing.

"The senior, he got a few of his buddies together, and they cornered me in the parking lot after school one day. I was waiting for Edward after practice, but he had forgotten that he asked me to wait and had gotten a ride with someone else. They dragged me under the bleachers where no one could see and…Well, I'll spare you the gory details, but it's not something I will ever forget, no matter how hard I try."

Now Edward's part made complete sense, why Rose blamed him, why he blamed himself. I couldn't imagine the guilt he must carry, but did I truly believe Rose when she says it was his fault? No. I couldn't.

"I can see you mulling it over in your head. I know you're fascinated with him Bella, but please. He's not good, my brother. He always focuses on himself and doesn't ever see the bigger picture. He's selfish and self-righteous. He destroys everything he touches, and if you get involved with him, he will destroy you too, just like he destroyed me." Rose was growing more and more panicked the more she spoke. She began shaking, and the tears were flooding down her cheeks. "I need you to be my friend," she pleaded. "But I can't be your friend if you're going to be with him. I couldn't take it if something happened to you because of him. I couldn't take the guilt on top of everything else I have had to deal with. So, please, Bella. Be my friend."

She gave me one last pleading look, but before I could answer, she was running down the steps and out into the rain. Her tires squealed loudly as she reversed, and disappeared down the street.


	6. AN: Hiatus

**ETWLA A/N:**

Hey guys, I know we're not supposed to use chapters as author's notes, but I wasn't sure how else to do this. I am not abandoning this story, but I am going to put it on Hiatus until summer. This is the last thing I want to do, but I'll hopefully be continuing to post by June.

I hate doing it, but I just don't have the time I would like to dedicate to this story and my other one that I have been working on for a long time, at the same time. Working almost full time, med school, shadowing, volunteering, and RL in general are just too time consuming right now.

I hope that all of you who are following choose to stick with me and be patient. I do know where I want this story to go, I just can't find the time to sit down and put the words to paper, or laptop. LOL.

Thank you all for understanding, and hopefully you will hear from me in a couple of months, and in turn I will hopefully hear from you.

Extremely Remorseful, and Incredibly Sad, (but determined)

~Riah


End file.
